Boston Scientific Taxus Stent Side Effects May Lead To Heart Attack Lawsuits

The Boston Scientific Taxus Express Stent was approved in March 2004 and has made the company into the largest coronary stent manufacturer in the U.S. The stent emits paclitaxel, a drug intended to inhibit restenosis caused by scar tissue growth. The stent uses a proprietary polymer, Translute™, to control the release of the drug paclitaxel. In late November 2006, a new meta analysis by the Cleveland Clinic of 14 studies of drug coated heart stents found that the incidence of blood clots with these newer devices is four to five times the incidence associated with the original metal stents which eluted no drugs. Because of the increased risk of thrombosis and resulting heart attacks, patients with the paclitaxel-eluting Boston Scientific Taxus stent are required to take anti-clotting medications for six months or more.

Taxus Stent Recalls

Boston Scientific Corp., the largest maker of heart stents, has had multiple voluntary recalls of its drug-coated Taxus devices because of defects in the delivery system. About 200 Taxus stents were recalled in July 2004. After identifying further problems, the company recalled 85,000 Taxus stents (both drug coated and bare metal types) later that month. In August 2004, an additional 3,000 Taxus stents were recalled that had been manufacturered prior to the aforementioned recalls. The catheter problems appear to have been caused when too much heat was applied during the laser welding stage in the manufacturing process, the company said.

Legal Help For Victims Affected By Boston Scientific Taxus Stent

If you or a loved one have a Taxus stent and have suffered clotting as a result, contact Parker & Waichman, LLP for a free legal case consultation. Call 1-800-YOURLAWYER (1-800-968-7529) or fill out the form at the right for legal assistance.

Mar 16, 2010 | Parker Waichman LLP

A massive recall is being issued for seven brands of Boston Scientific implantable heart defibrillators. The recall is being issued because Boston Scientific has determined that it did not get approval from federal regulators for changes to its manufacturing processes.
According to a Boston Scientific press release, the company is halting sales and retrieving field inventory of all its implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators...

Jul 16, 2009 | Parker Waichman LLP

Medtronic Inc., St. Jude Medical Inc., AtriCure Inc. and Boston Scientific Corp. all allegedly paid kickbacks to doctors in order to convince them to use their surgical ablation products to treat the heart-rhythm defect called atrial fibrillation, according to lawsuits recently unsealed in Texas. According to The Wall Street Journal, the lawsuits were filed by former employees of the companies.Allegations of kickbacks by medical device makers are nothing new. For example, in...

Oct 13, 2008 | Parker Waichman LLP

Late last week, Boston Scientific Corporation announced that U.S. health regulators approved the next-generation version of its widely used Taxus drug-coated stent. Boston Scientifc plans to begin selling the stent in early November.Meanwhile, in March, Boston Scientific received an approvable letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the stent, the Taxus Liberte. Receiving an approvable letter indicates that certain conditions must be met before full FDA approval is...

Sep 2, 2008 | Parker Waichman LLP

Doctors are now reporting that Boston Scientific Corporation’s Taxus stent did not fare as well as bypass surgery in improving medical outcomes for the sickest patients with a build-up of fatty deposits in their arteries. After one year, 12.1 percent of bypass patients had died, experienced a heart attack or stroke, or required repeat surgery versus the 17.8 percent of those patients who received a tube—known as a stent—to prop open a clogged artery. The...

Mar 27, 2007 | Financial Times

A seven-year US study has called into question whether doctors are overusing heart stents, the blockbuster tiny wire mesh tubes used to prop open narrowing coronary arteries. The results of the study, called Courage, added more uncertainty to a stent market that recently has been thrown into flux over questions of safety, appropriate usage and new competition. This flux was also highlighted by a 7 per cent fall in the share price of Boston Scientific, a leading US stent maker, because new data...

Please note that you are not considered a client until you have signed a retainer agreement and your case has been accepted by us.Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. | Attorney Advertising.